PBR Celebrates 10-year Anniversary at Madison Square Garden

J.B. Mauney has won the New York event three times. Photo by Andy Watson / BullStockMedia.com.

NEW YORK – Are you ready for some bull riding New York City?

The PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden is finally here, featuring the high-flying wrecks and thrilling 8-second rides of the toughest sport on dirt.

The PBR’s elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) will celebrate its 10-year anniversary at MSG this weekend as the Top 35 bull riding stars in the world and the world’s rankest bucking bulls go head-to-head at Madison Square Garden in a battle to rival any match ever seen in the Big Apple.

The action starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan 15; 6:50 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 16; and at 1:50 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 17. Tickets range in price from $25 to $202, and can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com or via phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the MSG Box Office or by calling 866-858-0008.

New to the ticket options this year are the PBR Elite Seats. Located in an exclusive section of the arena near all of the action, the PBR Elite Seats are priced at $500 each and will give fans the VIP experience of a lifetime; a pre-event catered reception, backstage tours featuring a PBR 101 presentation, and meet-and-greets with the PBR’s top stars. These seats are also on sale now. Contact the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727 for more information.

The BFTS has awarded more than $150 million in prize money over the past 22 years and $1.2 million in New York City in the last decade.

Bull riders who have stood atop the PBR shark cage as the winner at Madison Square Garden include:

2015 Guilherme Marchi

2014 J.B. Mauney/Fabiano Vieira

2013 Robson Palermo

2012 Cody Nance

2011 Valdiron de Oliveira

2010 Shane Proctor

2009 J.B. Mauney

2008 Valdiron de Oliveira

2007 J.B. Mauney

This weekend, two-time and reigning PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney, returns to the arena where he has won three titles (2007, 2009, and 2014), along with his fellow Monster Energy bull riders Gage Gay, Robson Palermo and Reese Cates.

The format of the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden is simple. Each of the Top 35 competitors will face one bull apiece in Round 1 on Friday, Round 2 on Saturday and Round 3 on Sunday. The Top 15 men, after the three-day scores have been combined, will return for the Built Ford Tough Championship Round to determine the winner. The winner will be the rider who has earned the most PBR world standings points during the four rounds.

On Friday, fans will be treated to even more bull riding action as the first of eight PBR 15/15 Bucking Battles takes place. This special round of competition pits the Top 15 bull riders in the world against the Top 15 bulls. A total purse of $21,000 is up for grabs and valuable bonus points toward the PBR world standings.

In the first of 14 PBR telecasts in 2016, CBS will present every gut-wrenching second of the 15/15 Bucking Battle matchups at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. CBS will feature 15/15 Bucking Battles throughout the 2016 BFTS:

Jan. 30 in Anaheim, California, will air on CBS Jan. 31 at 12 p.m. ET

Feb. 13 in St. Louis, Missouri, will air on CBS Feb. 14 at 12 p.m. ET

Feb. 20 in Kansas City, Missouri, will air on CBS Feb. 21 at 12 p.m. ET

April 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will air on CBS April 3 at 2:30 p.m. ET

April 16 in Billings, Montana, will air on CBS April 17 at 1 p.m. ET

August 27 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will air on CBS Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. ET

Sept. 3 in Thackerville, Oklahoma, will air on CBS Sept. 4 at 3 p.m. ET

The Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden is the first of four PBR Majors in 2016, offering increased PBR world standings points, which count toward the season’s overall PBR World Championship title, a $100,000 purse to the event winner, and a chance for one lucky rider to win $25,000 for one 8-second ride on the bonus bull in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round. If he makes the whistle, the money is his. If he doesn’t, it rolls over to the next PBR Major, making the bonus bull worth $50,000.

Below are the PBR Majors in 2016:

Jan. 15-17 Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden

Feb. 27 PBR Iron Cowboy

May 13-14 Helldorado Days featuring the Last Cowboy Standing

Aug. 19-20 Nashville, Tennessee

The 2016 Built Ford Tough Series will also stop in Chicago, Anaheim, Calif., and Dallas on its 18-state tour, culminating with the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas on Nov. 2-6, at the new Las Vegas Arena when the 2016 PBR World Champion, the bull rider who has earned the most PBR world points during the 2016 season, will receive the coveted World Championship belt buckle and $1 million bonus.

The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network and networks around the world. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.